“I’m away home; I’d rather die,” roared the woman to the entire accident & emergency department of the Royal Victoria Hospital.

It was 2am. She said she had been there since 2pm the previous day without seeing a doctor.

“I have a suspected brain haemorrhage,” she added as she stormed through the glass doors.

In the Royal, patient confidentiality goes out the window. Names are shouted aloud for observations every two hours.

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It serves two purposes: it placates people waiting to be seen, and it allows staff to check whether someone has deteriorated since the last round.

“What are you here for?” becomes a familiar break‑the‑ice question between weary warriors, who sound more like institutionalised inmates than sick patients, given the long waits.

Since June 2025, the number of patients waiting over 12 hours increased from 11,133 to 11,605 in June 2026, accounting for 16.7% of all attendances that month.

The waiting figures on the department’s website are not entirely accurate. On the night in question, the Royal was showing 120 minutes to be seen – which may have been accurate for triage, but not for the 12 hours it took to see a........

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